Romance at Sea
by Sky Pie
Summary: [Breaker High] Jennifer is a new student on Breaker High who befriends Sean and Tamira. When she hatches a plan to get them back together, will it end up in disaster or happily ever after?
1. Chapter 1

**TITLE:** Romance at Sea

**AUTHOR:** Sky Pie

**RATING:** G

**SUMMARY:** Jennifer is a new student on Breaker High who befriends Sean and Tamira. When she hatches a plan to get them back together, will it end up in disaster or happily ever after?

**DISCLAIMER:** The character of Jennifer is mine (and is obviously a Mary Sue). All _Breaker High_ characters are not mine and no copyright infringement is intended. This is an original—albeit clichéd—work of fiction. Any similarities to other fan fictions or stories are entirely coincidental.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I began writing this story on June 14, 2002, and completed it on September 7, 2002. However, it suffered severe editing by the thoroughly embarrassed author on July 26, 2006. This is my first and only _Breaker High_ fan fiction. I wrote it because as a naïve teenage girl I was devastated when Sean and Tamira broke up and I wanted to get them back together. In retrospect, I'll be the first to admit that it's an utter piece of crap, but it was my first real try at writing fan fiction. The people I want to thank know who they are, but I'm sure after being subjected to read this they would be ashamed for inspiring and/or encouraging this adolescent puppy-love slop.

---

I marveled in awe at the enormous ship before me. This was where I'd be spending the next six months of my life. I'd never done anything like this before, and to be honest I was quite nervous. Yet the other half of me was really excited; new people, new places, new surroundings, and new experiences—I could tell I was about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. I took a deep breath, releasing all my jitters, and confidently stepped on board Breaker High. My parents waved goodbye, telling me to be careful and to not get into any trouble.

"Don't worry, I won't!" I called back to them as I waved farewell. _At least not on purpose, anyway,_ I thought to myself as we departed.

A short, cheerful man walked towards me. "Hello! Welcome aboard Breaker High! You must be Jennifer, the new student," he said happily as he stuck out his hand.

I stuck out mine to shake his. He took a firm grasp and propelled my arm up and down so fast it got tired, but I managed to finally slip loose of his hold.

"I'm Tony Gifford, the activities director for the ship. If you have any questions about Breaker High rules and regulations or simply wish to chitchat awhile, you can visit me. Now, I'll show you to your room."

I followed him to the cabins of the ship. Along the way, I observed the setting and other students on board. My nervousness settled in again, as I became uncertain if I'd fit in or not. After all, I was the new kid. Most of them already knew each other and had their cliques. _Relax, everything will be fine,_ I told myself, _I shouldn't let anything spoil this opportunity._

Tony was babbling about something the whole way, but I didn't pay attention because I was too preoccupied with people watching. I couldn't help notice these two guys that were fooling around on the top deck. They had some sort of catapult and were about to shoot a water balloon at one of the faculty members. One of them in particular caught my eye and I continued watching them. Thankfully, Tony didn't notice that I had stopped following him and I continued on.

"Well, here we are," he said when we reached my cabin. "Until we reach another port with a new student, you'll have to room by yourself. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me." I accepted.

"Great. Dinner is served at 7:00. Curfew is at 10:00. Enjoy your stay!" he said merrily as he closed the door.

I looked around the room. It was plain and empty, with only a bed, a closet, and a desk. I started to unpack my things, thinking it was going to be a long, lonely semester at sea.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days had passed since I boarded Breaker High. Most of it was being introduced to the captain, cook, my teachers, and getting familiar with everything on the ship. I really hadn't talked to anyone, except for asking where a certain room was, what homework was due—something along the lines of that. As I suspected, everyone referred to me as "the new girl." I was really lonely and unhappy, until I met a friend.

I was in Social Studies class and our teacher, Miss Mitchell, was telling us the reading assignment for the evening. The bell rang and everyone headed out of the classroom. As I got up and collected my things, I glanced towards the door and smiled. I'd discovered that one of the pranksters I had noticed on my first day was in a few of my classes. I hadn't officially met him yet, but I found out that his name was Sean. I watched as he and his friend Jimmy left out the door.

"Jennifer?" Miss Mitchell asked right before I was about to leave.

I turned to face her. "Yeah, Miss Mitchell?"

"Do you like Breaker High so far?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's great." I said, hoping she would believe me. I honestly did think it was great, but it would be really great if I learned to fit in.

"Are you meeting some new friends?"

I hesitated before I answered. _Should I tell her the truth? Should I tell her my feelings about the ship and the people? Miss Mitchell seems really nice, and she seems like somebody I can trust._

"Well, not yet I haven't." I replied. _There, that didn't sound too bad._

"I see," she said, giving me a sympathetic look. "Well, if you have any problems, feel free to talk to me."

"Thanks." I said before walking out of the classroom. Miss Mitchell's offer was nice, but I didn't need to talk to anyone. _It's only the second day, who knows what could happen?_ As I was thinking this, I accidentally ran into someone and my books and papers scattered all over the floor.

"Sorry!" I apologized, kneeling down to pick my things up.

"No, no, it was my fault," the girl insisted as she helped me collect my belongings.

"Sorry about that, it happens to me all the time." I said when we had gathered everything from off the floor.

"Don't worry, it happens to me a lot, too," the girl said. She smiled when I looked up at her. "Hey, I haven't seen you around before," she observed.

"Yeah, I'm new here. I just arrived a couple days ago."

"Oh, well then welcome to Breaker High! I'm Tamira," she introduced herself as she stuck out her hand.

"I'm Jennifer." I said as we shook hands.

"Do you want me to walk you back to your cabin?"

"Sure." I accepted.

"So, where are you from?" she asked me as we walked.

"Kansas." I replied. "Where are you from?"

"A small town in Ohio. Being on Breaker High and going to all these new places has been such a big step up for me," she remarked.

"Yeah, it's going to be new and different for me, too." I said. We talked the rest of the way and found we had a lot in common. I told her how I hadn't really talked to anybody the first couple days, and she told me that when she first came on board, she didn't fit in either.

"It gets easier over time, and now I don't regret coming for a minute. I've got an awesome group of friends and a trip around the world!" Tamira exclaimed. Eventually, we reached my cabin.

"Well, thanks for walking me here." I said.

"You're welcome. Maybe I'll talk to you later."

"All right, bye." I said as I opened the door.

"Bye Jennifer!" I heard Tamira call as I came in. I put my books down and smiled. Maybe I would find some friends here after all.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at lunch I was pleasantly surprised. I was setting down my tray on an empty table when I heard someone call my name. I turned around to see who it was or if I was the person they were looking for. I saw Tamira waving at me.

"Come eat lunch with us," she invited. So I picked up my tray and headed over to her table.

"Have a seat," she insisted, pulling out the chair beside her. She introduced me to the other two girls sitting with us. "Guys, this is Jennifer. Jennifer, these are my friends Cassidy and Denise."

"Hi," they both greeted.

"Hi." I greeted back.

"So you're new here?" Cassidy asked. Tall and blonde, Cassidy looked like a supermodel: straight white teeth, big eyes, clear skin. Under other circumstances, I would have thought she was a mindless snob at first. But Tamira had said good things about her, so I decided to give her a chance.

"Yeah, I came a couple days ago." I replied politely.

"Aren't you excited for when we hit the next port?" asked Denise. As Tamira told me, Denise was the intellectual one. She had dark curly hair and was serious about her studies most of the time. But Tamira told me that she also liked to have fun and was a good friend.

"Yeah, this trip is going to be a real adventure for someone like me." I answered with all sincerity.

Cassidy leaned in closer and asked slyly, "Aren't the guys here _so_ cute?" Just as she uttered her question, Sean walked through the door.

I smiled and answered, "Yeah, some of them are."

Sean sauntered over to our table. "Well hello there ladies," he said in his cooler-than-thou way.

"Hey Sean," the other girls at my table responded.

"And who might this be?" he asked as he slipped into a chair beside me.

"This is Jennifer, she's new here." Tamira informed him. "Jennifer, this is our friend Sean."

"Hello Jennifer," he said slickly, his eyes sparkling as he kissed my hand.

"Hi." I said happily with a big grin on my face. After getting weird looks from the other girls, I decided to cease my giddy-little-girl-with-a-crush routine, for fear I seemed too obvious.

"Quit it Sean, before you give her rabies." Cassidy retorted. Sean made a face at her as he got up from the table.

"Well, I gotta jet," he said, then turned towards me. "See you around." He winked at me before heading on his way. I smiled as I watched him leave.

"Don't mind Sean." Denise told me. "He's desperate for any type of female attention."

"With his pathetic look, I don't see why girls couldn't just date him out of pity." Cassidy joked. They both burst out laughing, while I remained silent.

"Come on guys, cut it out." Tamira pleaded. The bell rang and lunch period ended.

"It was nice meeting you, Jennifer." Denise said.

"Yeah, you can hang with us anytime you want." Cassidy invited.

"Thanks guys. See you later!" I said.

"Bye!" they said before heading out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

That day after our last class, Tamira and I were walking down the hall together, talking and laughing hysterically. Some of the mishaps and situations that Tamira and her friends had gotten into during their time on Breaker High were just too funny. I hoped that I would also have many wonderful and humorous moments on my journey.

"Hey, you wanna come hang out at my place?" Tamira asked.

"Sure!" I accepted.

When we reached her cabin and opened the door, I saw a tan, dark-haired guy painting a pale, red-haired girl's toenails. The guy turned around and smiled.

"Hey Tams," he said to Tamira.

"Hi Alex." Tamira greeted back.

"What are you doing here?" the girl asked rudely. "And who is that look-alike fashion mistake next to you?"

"This is my friend Jennifer. She's a new student here." Tamira once again introduced me. I'd be glad when I finally knew everyone. It was kind of tiring to constantly tell people who I was. "Jennifer, this is my roommate Ashley and this is Alex."

"Hey Jennifer, nice to meet you." Alex welcomed me kindly. Ashley, however, took the opposite approach.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm Ashley Dupree, of the _Georgia_ Duprees. I'm sure you're greatly indulged to make my acquaintance," she said conceitedly. "Now is that all you wanted?"

"Well, we were going to hang out here," Tamira explained, "but if you guys are busy, we'll leave."

"Please do, unless Jennifer would like to hear one of my Miss Southern Teen Pageant stories." Ashley suggested.

"We'll pass." Tamira said quickly.

"We can hang out in my cabin." I told Tamira. "No one else is there, so we won't bother anyone."

"Okay." Tamira agreed. "See you guys later."

"Bye Tams." Alex said. "See you later Jennifer," he added before we left.

"Bye!" I returned.

---

We got to my cabin and opened the door. "Pretty empty, huh?" Tamira pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it." I said, closing the door behind me.

"So, you don't have a roommate?" Tamira asked.

"No. Until we hit the next port with another student, I'm all alone."

Tamira sighed. "I wish I had a room to myself."

"Yeah, Ashley did seem pretty rude." I commented.

"Believe me, she is!" Tamira exclaimed. "We haven't gotten along since the first day. She thinks she's so great with her beauty queen tiara and everything."

I stood up and imitated Ashley. "Hi, I'm Ashley Dupree, of the _Georgia_ Duprees, currently Miss Southern Teen." I said, over-accentuating the southern accent. Tamira laughed, taking the hat off her head and placing it on mine, acting as a tiara.

"Oh, thank you, thank you to everyone." I said as I blew pretend kisses and waved like a beauty queen. Tamira and I both fell back on the bed laughing uncontrollably.

I sat up and pointed out, "Well, at least Alex was nice."

Tamira sat up also. "Yeah, he's about the only person Ashley actually likes."

"I'd say so! So are they going out or something?" I asked.

"Yeah. Ashley dumped her boyfriend back home, Tyler, so she could go out with him."

"Wow." I said, surprised.

"And Cassidy is going out with Max," Tamira told me. "You haven't met him yet. I used to have the biggest crush on him, but when he and Cassidy became a couple I got over it."

I smiled, still curious about the people here. "So what about Sean?"

"What about Sean?"

"Well," I said, trying not to sound interested, "Is he seeing someone?"

"Not that I know of." Tamira replied. "Why?"

"Just curious." I answered.

Then Tamira said what I was afraid she'd say. "You like him, don't you?"

I tried to lie. "No, I was just wondering."

Tamira saw right through me. "You do!"

"No I don't!" I denied once more.

"Come on, admit it, I know you do," she said, prying the answer out of me.

I groaned. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"No, not really." Tamira said.

"Then how did you know? Are you a mind reader or something?"

She shrugged. "Maybe we just think alike."

"Hey, do you think what Ashley said was true? That we look alike?" I asked her, changing the subject.

"I guess," she said. I took the time to think about it. We did sort of resemble one another. Same shade of light brown hair, similar bone structure. We even had the same style: conservative, colorful, and unique. Okay, so maybe we weren't identical twins, but we did act and think similarly.

"Anyway, what were we talking about before you brought that idea up?" Tamira asked.

"Oh, you were teasing me about liking Sean." I recalled.

"Let's not talk about that." Tamira said.

I was confused. "Why not?"

She hesitated. "I just don't want to."

"Why? There's gotta be a reason."

"I guess I might as well tell you," she said dejectedly.

"I'm all ears." I replied.

Tamira filled me in on how she and Sean used to date and he was her first real boyfriend. Their relationship seemed so sweet at first, but she told me how she took him for granted and was ungrateful for what she had. What really tore them up was something that happened between Tamira and Max. When Max and Cassidy were in a fight, and Alex and Ashley were broken up, Max saw Alex and Cassidy making out on the deck. Max got really angry and Tamira went to comfort him. Then _they_ ended up kissing. So when Tamira accidentally blabbed about who-kissed-who, everyone got mad at each other. The worst part was that when Sean found out, he became upset and hurt. He realized that she could never be with him without her wanting to be with someone else. In the end, everyone got back together, except Tamira and Sean.

"The good thing is that we're still friends," Tamira continued, "but I'll never forgive myself for being so stupid and immature, and not realizing what a good thing I had when I had it."

It took me awhile to take all of this information in. "Wow," was all I could manage to say.

For a long while there was silence, both of us at a loss for words. Finally, Tamira spoke up again. "You must be awfully lonely in this room, all by yourself."

"Yeah, you feel pretty isolated after awhile, but at least it's better than having a snobby roommate like Ashley."

"What did you say?" Tamira asked.

"Oh, um, no offense, but I said that it's better than having—"

"I've got an idea!" Tamira announced excitedly. "Why don't I move in and be roommates with you? That way we could hang out here and you wouldn't be alone. I bet Ashley would appreciate a room to herself, too."

"That's a great idea!" I exclaimed. "But will you be able to?"

"Sure. I'll just ask Captain Ballard."

---

"I think that's a fine idea, Tamira." Captain Ballard said when we told him about her idea. "I'm glad you're willing to make Jennifer more welcome here."

"No problem Captain Ballard." Tamira said. "I'll move my stuff in tomorrow," she said to me.

"All right." I said. "See you later!"

"Bye!" Tamira called as I walked back to my room. I was ecstatic that Tamira and I would get to be roommates, but in the back of my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between her and Sean. I didn't want Tamira to feel like I was snaking him away from her, even though they weren't a couple anymore. I had a feeling that she still liked him. I tried my best to take my mind off of it. _I should be glad that my new friend is going to be my roommate. I should be glad that I'm finally starting to fit in._


	5. Chapter 5

The next evening I hung out at the coffee house with Tamira and the rest of the group. Cassidy, Denise, Alex, Ashley, and Sean were all there. I also met Max and Jimmy.

Max was fairly tall with jet-black hair and a tattoo on one of his biceps; I heard he had another tattoo, but no one knew where it was. I guess I could see why Tamira used to have a crush on him. I was told he was the "mysterious loner" type, and many times he had attempted to leave the boat. His father was the captain, and that's why he was on Breaker High in the first place. He didn't like it at first, but he had learned to deal with it. He was roommates with Alex and was Cassidy's boyfriend. It was pretty apparent because she was constantly hanging around him. He was fairly nice to me, but I couldn't help feeling a slight grudge against him because of what he did to Tamira. Plus, he wasn't that nice to Sean or Jimmy.

Jimmy, who I had seen shooting water balloons that first day with Sean, was a big funny guy. He and Sean were best friends and roommates, and together they caused a lot of trouble and commotion. Jimmy was a pig and could sometimes get on the others' nerves, but pretty much everyone liked him, with the exception of Ashley and most of the time Max.

We were all sitting around a table, talking and drinking coffee. I began to feel more at ease as I got to know them a little bit more. For a split second, my eyes met with Sean's from across the table, but I quickly turned away.

"Hey guys," Sean said, "I got two tickets to see tomorrow nights screening of _Romeo and Juliet_. Does anyone want to come with me?"

"No offense dude, but that's a chick flick, man." Jimmy said between bites.

"Sorry Sean, I have to study for a test." Denise said.

"I'm moving in with Jennifer tomorrow night," said Tamira.

"Sorry man, but Ashley and I have a date." Alex told him.

"Us too." Cassidy said, meaning her and Max.

Sean turned towards me. "Well then, Jennifer, do you wanna go?"

I paused to think before answering. I really wanted to go, but I was worried about how Tamira would feel about it. _It's not a date,_ I thought to myself, _we are just going to see the same movie and I'll see him there. I might possibly sit next to him, maybe even talk to him. Still, I have to be careful._

"Well, Tamira is moving in with me tomorrow and she might want me to be there." I said.

"No, that's okay, I'll do fine on my own." Tamira insisted. "You can go if you want to."

Now she was leaving the choice up to me. _It's just a movie,_ I thought. _What harm could it do?_

"Sure." I replied. "I'd like to go."

"All right then." Sean said as he slid me the ticket from across the table. "I guess I'll see you there."

Things were going good for me. I was getting a roommate, I had a new group of friends, and I was even going to a movie where I'd most likely bump into a guy I liked. Yet I still had this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was about to go wrong, that someone's feelings were about to get hurt. It was a premonition that I couldn't shrug off.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday night rolled around and I was getting ready to go out. I wanted to look nice, but casual. After all, it wasn't a date. I had to keep reminding myself of that. I wasn't sure if Sean was even interested in me. I was deciding whether to go with a red blouse or a checkered blouse when I heard a knock on my door. It was Tamira, with a bunch of boxes piled up in her arms.

"Hey Jennifer!"

"Hi there. Here, let me help you with those." I said as I took half of the load and placed it on her side of the room.

"Thanks," she said as she set the other half down.

"You're welcome. Are you sure you'll be all right doing this by yourself?" I asked.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll be fine," she answered assuredly.

I decided to ask for her opinion on my outfit. "By the way, what do you think looks better, the red blouse I have on, or this checkered one?"

She thought about it for a minute. "I like the red one," she commented.

I grinned. "So do I." I grabbed my purse and started to leave. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Bye, have a good time." Tamira said.

"The movie ends around 9:00, so maybe I'll be back in time to help a little or something." I remarked.

"All right," she said in response.

"Okay, bye." I said as I slowly inched my way out. I was about to shut the door, when suddenly I turned back and swung it wide open. "Are you _sure_ you don't need any help?" I asked once more. I didn't want to abandon Tamira if she really needed me to assist her. I was confident that she could handle it, but I wanted to double-check just in case.

"Jennifer, I'll be fine. I don't care," she said.

"All right then, bye." I said for the last time as I closed the door. Tamira's last words rung in my head: _I don't care._ Something in the way she said it made me think she really _did_ care. Not about needing help with arranging her stuff, but about me going to the movie. I snapped out of my thoughts. _It's not a date!_ I reminded myself for the last time.

---

I walked into the movie room on the boat. A couple rows back I saw Sean sitting by himself. I smiled and, a bit hesitantly, walked over to where he was and settled myself into an empty chair next to him.

"Well hey there," he said to me in his charming, mischievous way.

"Hi." I replied.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Oh, I guess I'm all right," he said as he stretched out. He slouched in his seat, looking relaxed, like he didn't have a care in the world. I began to twiddle my thumbs around anxiously.

The first couple minutes were uncomfortable and quiet, since I didn't know what to say. I'm not really the one to start a conversation, so I was hoping Sean would say something. I was beginning to think that he didn't like me and that he just needed to give the ticket away.

My spirits were lifted once Sean started talking to me again. He asked me if I had ever seen the film before. I told him I hadn't, but I'd read the play. So from then on we had a small, casual conversation. I started to like him more than I already did. He was nice, smart, funny, clever, and was unlike anyone else I'd ever met.

Finally the lights dimmed and the movie started. Throughout the show, I kept sneaking glances at Sean. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. I could have swore he tried to put his arm around me a couple times, but it was probably just wishful thinking.

When the movie was over, Sean and I stayed afterwards to watch the credits. I found this rather interesting because I thought I was the only person who liked reading the credits after movies. Later, Sean walked with me back to my cabin. We talked some more along the way. I was getting to know the real Sean Hanlon behind the cool, carefree cover. I opened up to him too, as I felt I could trust him. When we reached my cabin, I didn't want to say goodbye, but it had to end sometime.

"Thanks for walking me back here." I said.

"You're welcome." said Sean.

"And thanks for giving me the ticket. I really liked the movie." I continued.

"No problem."

We stood there in silence for a little while. Neither of us knew what to say. I just stared down at the green tiled floor. I decided I should probably be the one to break the ice.

"Well, I should be heading in. Tams might need me to help."

"Yeah." Sean agreed.

"Bye."

"Bye," he said softly. I turned to head inside, when Sean grabbed my shoulder.

"Jennifer, wait!" he said abruptly. I turned around.

"Yes?"

"Well, um... maybe we could, I dunno, since we..." he stuttered, followed by a series of hiccups.

"Sean, are you all right?" I asked.

Sean cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said after his hiccups had stopped. "Listen, I was wondering... if you wanted to..." he went on.

"Sean, just say it!" I said a little impatiently, for I kind of had a feeling of what he wanted to ask.

"Do you wanna go out sometime?" he finally got out.

"On a date?"

"Yeah," he smiled. He gave me a pleading look with those baby blue eyes of his. He didn't have to, because no matter what my answer would be:

"Yes." I said happily.

Sean looked surprised "Really?"

"Yeah." I repeated, nodding my head.

"All right then. Is Saturday at 7:00 good for you?" Sean asked.

"That would be great." I said, my face beaming with happiness.

Sean looked happy, too. "Okay, well, I'll see you then."

"All right."

I guess we didn't know which of us was going to leave first, so I headed inside. Sean walked away as I closed the door.

I was so enraptured in my joy that I was startled when I heard someone say, "Hey girl!"

It was Tamira. I snapped back to reality and looked around the room. She had set up everything just fine.

"Hi. So, I guess everything is settled now, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah. Isn't this great, having our own room together?" she said.

"Yeah." I smiled and hugged her.

"So how was the movie?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"The movie. How was it?"

"Oh, it was good." I answered.

"Did you see Sean there?"

"Yeah." I replied.

"Oh, cool," she said. The down part to the situation was that I had to tell Tamira. I was afraid of how she'd react to it. _Well, here goes nothing,_ I thought.

"Tams?"

She turned to face me. "Yeah?"

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know that Sean asked me out tonight." I finally announced.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting her to say, but I was definitely surprised to hear, "Jennifer, that's great!"

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, that's great news. I'm happy for you."

"Really?" I repeated as I sat down on my bed. "It doesn't bother you?"

"No, not at all," she responded. "Why would you think that?"

"Oh, I just thought—" I started to say, but then held back. It was clear that my friend was happy for me and had no problem with me going out with her ex. Or was it? "Never mind."

"Did he start to hiccup?"

I thought this was strange of her to ask. "Yeah, he did. Why?"

"Well, that's what he does when he tries to ask out a girl he likes." Tamira told me. I smiled as I recalled what had happened just moments ago.

"Did he hiccup when he asked you out?" I wondered.

"No, he didn't actually." Tamira said. "I guess it was because we were such good friends."

I nodded. "Well, good night Tams."

"Good night," she returned.

I had trouble going to sleep that night. Partly because I was excited about my date, and partly because I was still worried about Tamira. _If it bothers me this much, why don't I just ask her how she really feels?_ I thought. If I did, I wouldn't have to fret about it anymore and could relax and have a good time on the date. I made up my mind to ask her the next morning, and that put me at ease enough to rest.


	7. Chapter 7

Butterflies were swarming around in my stomach Saturday evening while I was getting ready for my date with Sean. I hadn't stayed true to my promise I made to myself the night before. I was going to ask Tamira that morning, but I just couldn't. She was so happy as she kept going on about how glad she was that we were friends and how great it was that we got to be roommates. It just didn't seem like the right time to ask. I had been delaying it all day, but I swore that before I left I would ask her how she really felt about the date. Meanwhile, I was frantically searching for the right outfit to wear. Tamira helped out by lending me one of her blouses. Finally, I was ready.

"Well, have a good time." Tamira said.

"I will." I stood there for a while, carefully choosing the right words to say.

"Um, shouldn't you be going?"

"Yeah," I agreed, "but before I go, I have to ask you something."

"All right," she nodded.

I took a deep breath and began my speech. "Tamira, this has been bothering me for a while, and I feel you haven't been quite honest with me. I can't go out tonight if I don't know for sure."

"Jennifer, what is it?" she asked.

"Tamira, do you still like Sean? I sort of have this feeling that you do. If that's the case, I don't think I should go out with him tonight. I don't want to hurt you."

Tamira sighed. "Sean and I are over. We're friends now, and I don't have any problem with you two going out," she said as she adjusted the collar of my blouse.

"Are you sure?" I asked, still skeptical.

"Positive. I'm actually happy for you two. It's really cool that two of my best friends like each other."

"You really mean that?"

"Yeah." Tamira said sincerely. I smiled and hugged her.

"Thanks Tams. You're the best." I told her as we embraced.

"You're welcome. Have fun."

"I will," I said as I went on my way.

"Don't get into too much trouble!" I heard her shout as I closed the door. I laughed, relieved that I had finally asked. Now came the real challenge—the big date.

---

I walked into the coffee house where I was meeting Sean. I spotted him and went over to the table where he was waiting.

"Hey there doll," he said as he stood to greet me.

"Hi Sean."

"You look great," he complimented.

"Thanks, so do you." He was wearing a red velvet shirt with a black jacket, and his light blonde hair was slicked back.

The first part of the date went well. We were both chatting and laughing over coffee. I was able to let loose and be myself.

"Hey, I got a joke for you." Sean said.

"Okay."

"What did the crew of the Enterprise say when they went into the Italian pastry shop?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

He picked up two pieces of biscotti and held them to the sides of his face. "Beam me up, biscotti!"

It took me a while to understand it. "Oh, I get it!"

He put the biscotti down. "Yeah, it's a dumb joke, I know."

"No, I thought it was funny." I told him honestly.

Afterwards, we went out onto the deck. We talked and strolled along with the starry sky glittering in the background. Suddenly, Sean stopped.

"Wait here," he stalled. When he came back, he had a cassette player. He pushed play and a slow, jazzy song came on.

"May I have this dance?"

"Sean, I can't dance." I whispered, rather embarrassed.

"That's all right," he replied. "I'll teach you."

He took my hand and carefully taught me the steps. The bad part was that I often accidentally stepped on his feet.

"Oh, sorry!" I would exclaim every time.

"It's okay," he said, "You're actually a better dancer than you think."

I knew he was fibbing to make me feel better, so I smiled and said "Thanks."

Even my two left feet didn't ruin the evening. It was really nice to dance under the vast, endless sky. When we became tired—and Sean sore—from dancing, we sat down and talked some more, while watching the stars twinkle above us. I couldn't imagine a better way to end what seemed to me like the perfect date. We stopped talking for a while, and for some reason I interrupted the silence with one of my stupid, pointless ideas.

"Do you ever look up at a star, and wonder if someone else far away is looking at that same star at the same time?" I asked Sean.

Sean turned to look at me. "No, not that I can recall."

"It's a silly thought, I know." I said, sighing. _Why can't I sound intelligent and profound for once?_

"No, no, it's not silly," he said.

I looked at my watch. "We'd better be heading back." Sean nodded in agreement. He took my hand and we walked to my cabin.

Sadly, the date was over. When we got back, only one question popped in my head: _Is he going to kiss me?_

"I had a really good time tonight, Sean." I said.

"Yeah, me too," he agreed.

My heartbeat started to speed up. "Well, good night."

"Good night." Sean started to lean in and so did I. We got closer and closer, and just as our lips were about to touch, Sean pulled back.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," he said as he turned away. I felt a sharp pang of confusion and agony hit me.

"What?" I said, discouraged.

"Look, Jennifer," he said as he clasped my hand into both of his, "I like you, and I had a really good time tonight, but I don't think we should see each other anymore."

"Why? What did I do?"

"Nothing, nothing, it's not you. It's just," he struggled with his words, "You remind me too much of my old girlfriend."

"Tamira?"

"You know?"

"Yeah, she told me that you two used to date."

"It's not only that, though. I mean, if I were seeing any other girl it'd be just as uncomfortable," he explained furthermore.

"You still have feelings for her, don't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"You know, even though she denies it, I think she still has feelings for you, too."

"Yeah, well, even if we wanted to get back together, we couldn't. It wouldn't work out."

Right then, all my selfish and petty feelings for myself washed away. I was now concerned with this new situation. Here was this great guy, who still genuinely cared for this girl so much he couldn't see any other girl. And here was this girl, who possibly still had feelings for him as well. I wished more than anything that I could turn back time and make everything work out the right way.

Sean was leaning against the wall, his head buried in his hands. I gently touched his arm. "Hey, it's all right, I understand." I told him. He looked me in the eyes and knew that I was sincere.

"Thanks," he said as he gave me a friendly hug.

"You're a good guy, Sean Hanlon." I told him as we embraced, then kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later," he said as he turned to leave.

He was about halfway down the hall when I called, "Hey Sean?" He turned and looked back at me.

"We're still friends, right?" I asked.

He smiled. "Yeah, we're friends." With that he disappeared around the corner. I sighed heavily. I didn't entirely understand the situation. If they still liked each other, why couldn't they get back together? Why did they both keep denying their feelings? I was determined to find out. They belonged together.

I walked back into my cabin, sad and confused about what had just happened. Tamira was apparently unaware about how upset I was.

"Hey Jennifer."

"Hi." I returned quietly.

"How was the date?" she asked.

I snapped out of my gloomy state. "Oh, the date. It was good."

"You had fun?"

"Yeah." I answered. Tamira nodded. I was taking off my shoes and getting ready to go to bed, but Tamira was expecting to get more out of me.

"So, do you think you're going to go out with him again?"

I pretended to play dumb. "Who?"

"Who else? Sean!"

I gave up and told her what happened. "Actually, Sean and I decided it would be best if we didn't go out with each other again."

"Really? Why?"

"It didn't work out between us. We're just going to be friends."

"I know the feeling," she said.

I wanted to talk to Tamira about Sean, but I was too tired from the evening. I would talk to her the next day.

As I was lying in my bed that night, once again finding trouble getting to sleep, I heard this faint muffle from not far away. It was Tamira, and it sounded like she was crying. I had to get her and Sean back together, but I couldn't do it without finding out what the problem was between them first.

---

Sean walked back into his cabin and slammed the door behind him. "Well, that's it. I blew it again," he said to Jimmy.

"Hey Sean. How was the date with Jennifer?" Jimmy asked.

"It was great," he said as slumped down on his bed, running his fingers through his slick, blonde hair. "Actually Jimbo, I messed up," he sighed.

"Hey, don't worry man. You'll find a girl that won't think you're a total weenie someday."

"No, it wasn't that." Sean told him. "We had a great time, and she really liked me, but she reminds me too much of T."

"You mean you blew off a girl that actually _liked_ you because she reminds you of Tamira?"

"Yeah. Stupid, I know," he said. He picked up a stuffed bunny Tamira once gave him and started playing with its ears.

"Then why don't you get back together with Tamira?" Jimmy suggested.

"You know I can't."

"Then you're not gonna go out with another girl for a long time."

"Look, I know what I did was stupid." Sean said as he bolted up. "I finally find a girl who's nice, funny, and who likes me. But she's best friends with Tamira, and it'd be too hard to—" he stopped. Jimmy was looking at him, waiting for him to finish. Even though he was Sean's best friend, he just wouldn't understand how he felt. "Never mind."

"Well, that's all right little buddy. We'll always have each other." Jimmy said, trying to make his heartbroken friend feel better.

"Yeah." Sean sighed as he tossed the stuffed animal aside. It was true, he'd always have his friend with him, but to Sean it wasn't enough. He wanted something more, something that he had once held onto, but it had escaped right before his own eyes. Ever since then, it had been far out of his reach. That something was Tamira, and what they once had together. A single tear formed in his sad eye and trickled its way down his cheek. He wiped it off, knowing he had to be stronger, but it was hard. He doubted things would ever be like they used to be again.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day after I had visited the coffee house, I headed back to my room. When I opened the door, I found Tamira by herself, looking at a picture frame. When she looked up and saw me, she quickly stuffed it under her pillow.

"Hi," she said quickly.

"Hi." I said suspiciously. I sat myself down next to her. "What were you looking at?"

"Nothing," she fibbed, "Nothing at all."

I gave her the type of look that said, "I know you're lying," without having to say the words. She reluctantly pulled the frame out from under her pillow. It was a picture of her and Sean when they were a couple.

"You still like him." I said, not having to ask. There was no response. "Tamira, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew how much you liked him, and I didn't want to keep you from seeing him because of my feelings. That would be selfish."

"But I told you Tams, I didn't want to hurt you by seeing him."

"I wasn't hurt," she said. "I was happy for you two, but it didn't work out. Now both of us are unhappy."

"I'm only unhappy because _you're_ unhappy." I told her. I decided to tell her what really happened. "Tamira, the reason Sean and I can't go out anymore is because I remind him of you." She looked up at me, confused. "He told me so." I continued. "He still has feelings for you, and if you still have feelings for him, then why don't you two patch things up and—"

"No!" Tamira shouted. "I mean, no, we can't," she said more calmly.

"Why not?"

"I already told you, it didn't work out and we can't be together anymore. Besides, it's time for us both to move on and put the past behind us."

I was frustrated. Getting them back together was going to be harder than I thought. I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. I was going to have to dig deeper, get the information from different sources.

---

I decided to ask the rest of the group about Sean and Tamira's situation. I talked to Denise, Cassidy, and Ashley about it in the coffee house.

"You know, neither of them have dated much since they broke up." Cassidy remarked.

"Yeah, you're right," said Denise.

"Well, I've got a pretty strong feeling that they still like each other," I informed them, "and since they won't give it another chance, I was thinking I could get them back together—and I'll need some help."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Denise said apprehensively.

"Please guys?" I pleaded. "We all know that they belong together. It wouldn't hurt to help them out."

"Well I'm in." Cassidy said.

"Okay, I guess I'm in, too." Denise agreed.

Ashley just sat there filing her fingernails while we waited for her response. She finally glanced up and noticed that we were looking at her with anticipation.

"What?"

"Are you in or not Ashley?" Cassidy asked.

"In what?" she asked mindlessly again. It was clear that she hadn't been listening to the conversation at all.

"About getting Tamira and Sean back together!" I said, getting a little agitated with her careless attitude.

"Why should I help get those two back together?" she asked, acting like it would be a waste of her time.

"Because they're your friends!" Cassidy groaned.

"Ashley, would it kill you to help us out a little on this?" Denise asked the princess.

"Oh, all right." Ashley sighed.

"Great. Now we'll need Jimmy, Alex, and possibly Max to help us out with this." I said.

"I'll ask them." Cassidy offered.

"Good." I explained to them the plan. The girls and I would try to convince Tamira to go on a blind date that we set up. The guys would do the same with Sean. Then we'd get them in the coffee house when no one else was there, and trap them with no way out. We figured they'd do the rest by talking things out. I crossed my fingers, hoping that this would work and not turn out disastrous.

---

The next day we put Operation Sean and Tamira into action. When we told Tamira about the date, she was uncertain at first.

"I don't know about this. Why are you guys trying to play matchmaker with me all of a sudden?" she asked.

"Because," Cassidy rationalized, "You haven't been out in a while. You should have fun a little more often."

"Trust us Tams." I continued. "He's great. The _perfect_ guy for you."

Tamira sighed and gave in. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to go." The rest of the girls and I smiled and nodded at each other.

Meanwhile, the guys were trying to convince Sean to go. He was a little harder to persuade.

"Come on little buddy, why don't you want to go?" Jimmy asked him as they walked down the hall.

"I told you big daddy, I don't feel like going out." Sean replied. "Besides, this girl is gonna be really disappointed when she sees that it's me."

"Come on, man, you need to at least give this date a chance." Alex said.

Sean sighed. "All right. You promise this girl is a good one?"

"Oh absolutely." Alex said. "She's great. The _perfect_ girl for you."


	9. Chapter 9

It was the night of the date and the air was filled with anxiety and fret—at least for me it was. As time went on, I became less and less confident that the plan would work. I had a lot of time to think about what might happen, and had visualized several bad case scenarios. Questions that had never occurred to me before were popping into my head all at once. _What if I make things worse than they already are? What if they argue and I ruin their friendship altogether? What if they both hate me afterwards?_

I also was becoming uneasy at the chance that the date would go through as planned. _Just because we stick them together doesn't necessarily mean they'll work things out,_ I thought to myself. Unfortunately, it was too late to change anything. I just hoped things wouldn't turn out the way I feared they would.

We had told them both to meet their date in the coffee house. We had pulled a few strings so that it would close early. In the meantime, I was helping Tamira prepare for the evening.

"Jennifer, I'm still not sure about this," she said while she was getting ready.

"Don't worry," I consoled her. "Everything will be just fine."

"All right, I guess I'll see you later," she said as she left.

"Good luck!" I called to her. The smile that was on my face suddenly faded. "Come to think of it, I could use some luck, too." I grumbled as I went to oversee my sure-to-fail plan.

---

Tamira opened the big wooden door and stepped inside. "Hello? Is anyone hear?" she asked. There was no reply. She stood there in uncomfortable silence until she heard the squeaking noise of the other door opening. Her heartbeat sped up, as she was anxious to see who it was, but it slowly went back to normal as she identified the mystery person.

"Sean?"

He turned around at the sound of her voice and was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Tamira." He slowly walked over to where she was. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question," she said. Sean shifted his gaze to the floor. "You see," Tamira continued, "Jennifer and the other girls told me to meet someone here on a blind date."

"Yeah, same here." Sean said as he shook his head, thinking how stupid he was to fall into this trap.

"We've been set up." Tamira finally realized.

"Yep. We've been played for fools." Sean muttered.

"They're trying to get us back together."

"I know," he agreed softly.

"I tried telling them it wouldn't work out, but they didn't listen." Tamira continued, becoming more and more upset.

"Well then, since we know that, I'm going to head out." Sean said as he turned towards the door.

"Yeah, me too." Tamira stormed off to the other door. Sean turned the knob and found that it wouldn't open. He jiggled it some more. On the other side of the room, Tamira was having the same problem.

"The door's locked." Sean exclaimed.

"Yeah, so is mine." Tamira huffed, still desperately trying to force open her door. Finally, she gave up. She turned towards Sean.

"We're stuck here." Sean said after heaving a sigh of frustration.

"Great." Tamira said, obviously as aggravated as he was.

She walked over to where Sean sat slumped in the corner. "I tried telling Jennifer that we couldn't be together anymore, but then she turns around and does this." Sean didn't say anything and just kept staring at the same spot on the floor. "I know she meant well." Tamira sighed. "But still..."

"...it hurts." Sean whispered, almost to where Tamira couldn't hear him. "Because she's your friend, and you trusted her."

"Yeah." Tamira concurred with him. It was almost as if Sean had read her mind. "So, I guess things didn't work out between you two," she brought up.

"Yeah," was all he could mumble in response. He wasn't even looking at Tamira; he had his head turned the opposite of her direction and seemed to be staring off into space.

"Um, she told me that the reason you didn't want to see her anymore is because she reminded you, of-of me." Tamira stuttered, still finding it hard to believe.

Sean gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah," he repeated once more. Neither of them knew what to say. Finally, Tamira gathered up enough bravery to speak up again.

"Sean, I'm really sorry about that whole thing with Max. I shouldn't have done it, and it didn't mean anything. I know it's too little too late now, but I just wanted to let you know how much I regret it." Sean turned to face Tamira, a blank expression on his face, but his piercing blue eyes were locked on her honest hazel eyes. "Do you f-forgive me?" she asked, her voice having a slight tremor.

Sean shook his head, then turned to face away from her again. "Yeah, sure," he said heedlessly.

"Are you just saying that or do you really mean it?"

"Look, whatever," he said as he got up and walked a couple steps away. He was facing the wall, his arms were folded, and his back was to her.

Tamira rose up from her place. "Sean, you're not even listening to me," she said, feeling troubled. He said nothing in response. She was having a hard time getting through to Sean about how she really felt. It made it even harder that he was acting too stubborn to see that. Tamira sighed and decided she had to more be straightforward about it.

"Sean," she began again, "Ever since we've broken up, I've missed you. I miss the way things used to be. I'd never want to risk losing our friendship, but I'd give anything to turn back time and change things."

"You're not the only one." Sean said quietly, after a long pause.

Tamira inhaled deeply. "And I was thinking, maybe we could work things out, and make things like they were before." Again, Sean said nothing in return. "So what do you say?" she asked.

He didn't say a word, but Sean's answer to the question lie in his body language. He sighed, shook his head again, and rubbed the creases of his forehead with his right hand. Tamira was unable to put up with his behavior anymore.

"Sean, why won't you talk to me?" she practically yelled. Realizing she had almost lost her temper, Tamira calmed herself down and regained composure. She walked in Sean's direction, stopping only a few feet behind him.

"You know, you never used to be like this," she said. "Why are you acting this way? This isn't the Sean I used to know."

She paused for a while, choosing her next words to say, sorting out all her emotions that were bubbling inside her. Sean didn't move from where he was or even glance in her direction, but he was hanging on her every word. There was a tremendous amount of tension in the room. At some point, she continued on.

"After the break-up, we've acted differently around each other. I haven't really been able to talk to you, and even now we're not opening up to each other. I miss the old Sean, even before we became a couple. The guy who would help me out when something was wrong. The guy who encouraged me to keep on trying, day to day. Someone who I could talk to and didn't have to pretend to be somebody else. Someone who was really a good friend to me."

She reached out and gently grabbed his shoulder. He finally turned to face her, not making a sound. She grabbed his other shoulder and looked him square in the eye. "But I know," she said confidently, "that same guy is still in there somewhere. The person I'm looking at now is a just a cover. The real Sean Hanlon is in there listening to me, and maybe, he'll let his guard down and talk to me, just like he used to."

Tamira let go of her hold, and as she pulled away she saw Sean's expression, one that told her that he had taken what she said to heart.

It was then when she took a grasp of her words, and she was surprised at herself. She had never taken such control of a situation or was so open about her feelings. She also thought about her past year on Breaker High, and how much she had changed and matured. At that moment of realization, Tamira felt the smallest feeling of pride. She soon pushed those thoughts aside, as she had more important things to deal with.

Sean stood there speechless. He had so much emotional baggage with him at that moment, it was hard to think straight. Tamira had seen right through him and was trying to drag the truth out of him. He really wanted her to know how he felt, but it was too complicated for even him to understand. He wanted to come clean and spout everything that was on his mind, but he didn't exactly know how to say it. Hoping that Tamira would start up the conversation again, he stood there waiting. After awhile, he figured it was his turn to speak.

There were so many things he could have said, but all that came out was a faint, "I'm sorry, T."

Tamira could barely hear him. "What?"

For the first time in the conversation, he turned to face her and spoke. "I said I'm sorry, Tamira. I'm sorry for being this way." Tamira bit her lower lip, looking at Sean with her concerned, caring eyes.

"It's just that," Sean continued, although struggling with his words, "It's just really hard for me to talk to you right now. I don't really know what to say." He slouched down on the floor again, running his fingers through his hair, and Tamira sat next to him.

"Jennifer told me that still have feelings for me," she remarked. Once again, no response followed. "Is that true?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied quietly.

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Then can we—"

"No," he replied sharply.

"Why?" Tamira cried.

"Because!" he raised his voice, bolting up from the floor. "I just—" he turned to look at Tamira, then stopped what he was saying. "Never mind."

"No, what?" she asked.

"It's nothing, all right?"

"No Sean, just tell me." Tamira begged him as she got up and stood beside him.

"I can't," he croaked.

"Why not?"

Sean tried to respond, but couldn't. All he could get out were short guttural noises that didn't mean anything.

Tamira was feeling distraught at that point. She didn't know if he would end up telling her anything at this rate. "I mean, I said I was sorry for what happened and—"

Sean cut her off short. "It's not that," he informed her.

This only made Tamira even more upset and confused. "Then what is it?"

"I..." Sean tried to let go, to just say what he felt. "I'm scared, and I..." he looked up at her, his eyes wet with tears. "I love you, Tamira."

Tamira was befuddled. For the first time in the conversation, she was the one who didn't know what to say. "What?"

He walked up to her, taking her hand and holding it between both of his. "I said I love you, and I'm afraid of losing you like before. I'm frightened at the thought of caring for you so much, and then after this is over, never seeing you again. I don't know what to do, I just... I..." Sean couldn't finish his sentence, as tears were welling up again.

At that moment, Tamira was beginning to see things clearly, and everything that had happened slowly started to make sense. She felt rotten and selfish for acting the way she did.

"Oh Sean, I had no idea," she whispered. Now her eyes were tearing up.

Meanwhile, I had witnessed everything from my hiding spot in the coffee house. It looked like the right time, so I signaled to Max, who from his spot dimmed the lights and started playing the music.

When Sean heard it, he smiled. "Remember this?" he asked Tamira.

Tamira listened and immediately recognized it. "Yeah."

"It's our song." Sean told her, even though she already knew. He looked into her eyes in a way she hadn't seen since they were a couple. "Would you care for a dance?"

"Yes. I'd love too," she answered, taking his hand, and they danced together for the first time in a long, long time. To them it felt too long. During the middle of the song, Tamira looked up at Sean and told him, "I love you, too."

He leaned in and gently caressed her forehead, then tilted her head up and kissed her softly, sweetly, just like she remembered. She wished she could get stuck in that moment forever.

"Aww, they're so sweet!" I gushed to the other girls, who were beside me.

"Come on, we should give them some privacy. We've done all that we can." Denise said. So we quietly crept out, leaving our two lovesick friends where they should have been—together again.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day at the coffee house, I was sitting alone and minding my own business when Sean and Tamira walked through the door. They were laughing and holding hands as they headed towards my table.

"Hey Jennifer!" Tamira greeted happily.

"Hi you guys."

"Listen, Jennifer, we just wanted to thank you," said Sean.

"For what?"

"For, uh, helping to get us back together," he told me.

Tamira explained the rest. "Yeah, Sean and I talked things out and we're gonna see how things go. If it wasn't for you, we probably wouldn't have been able to make things right again."

I shrugged. "Hey, what are friends for?"

"So listen, Tams and I are gonna go play some golf. Wanna came with?" Sean invited.

"Nah, I don't really feel like it." I told them. "Maybe some other time, though."

"Okay then, see you later," said Tamira.

"Bye." I waved as they headed off again. I was happy as I watched my two friends together, and felt good that the mission was completed. Yet something still didn't feel right. Sean and Tamira were a couple again, and everything was going well for me, but part of me still felt empty. I decided to take a walk out on the deck.

As I walked along, I passed by couples talking together and holding hands. I spotted Sean and Tamira, two great people who were meant for each other and my newest and dearest friends. I also saw Max and Cassidy, two complete opposites but they cared for each other a lot. Then there was Alex and Ashley, both from totally different worlds but still an affectionate couple.

At last, I figured out what the feeling was—I was lonely. Within a few weeks I had made a great group of friends, but I didn't have anyone special in my life. I tried to shrug the feeling off, knowing that if I were patient, someday it would happen. I was glad for all the things I did have and wanted to enjoy my journey as I much as I could. I thought about all the great things about being there: friends, new places, and a chance most people will never experience. This really was going to be the trip of a lifetime.

---

A few weeks later, I was hurriedly walking down the hall. I had been talking to Tamira and the other girls and lost track of time. Now I was frantically scurrying to make it to my next class. Because I was in such a rush and wasn't concentrating, I found myself crashing into someone and saw papers and books scatter everywhere.

"I'm so sorry!" I apologized to the person I had knocked into as I gathered their stuff from off the floor. _Deja vu or what?_ I thought to myself.

"No, no, it was my fault," the person insisted as they collected their belongings. I looked up to see a young man with dark hair and thick glasses. He seemed very shy and timid, much like I was when I first came on board. I gave him a friendly smile as I handed him his books.

"Thanks," he said quietly, giving a little half-smile.

"No problem." I replied. "I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new here?"

"Yeah. I just arrived here yesterday at the last port," he told me.

"Well then, welcome to Breaker High! I'm Jennifer," I greeted him as I stuck out my hand. He reluctantly repeated the gesture and shook hands with me.

"I'm Tim," he replied.

"Well Tim, would you like me to show you to your next class?" I offered.

"Yes, that would be nice. I'm looking for the Social Studies room with Miss Mitchell."

"That's where I happen to be going. Come on, I'll show you the way."


End file.
